How to Adapt Your Business’s Page to Facebook Changes

When you enter the world of Facebook marketing, remember that Facebook is an ever-changing universe, and some of the features and guidelines you’ve grown to rely on could be in jeopardy with every new design iteration and policy change. You need to build in contingencies to account for potential shifts in technology and policies. Entire ad formats have been announced, launched, and died an early death just when you thought they’d be ideal for your next ad campaign.

Although many Facebook changes are cosmetic in nature, many refinements take place in regards to the data made available to marketers, the policies that apply to member privacy settings, and what and to whom you can advertise. Remember that marketing on Facebook is an evolutionary process, and your marketing plan will forever be a work in progress.

Staying on top of Facebook developments

It is very important to keep up to date on recently made and upcoming changes to Facebook’s policies and regulations. You must adhere to specific procedures so that you can run a promotion on your Page. If you don’t follow Facebook’s stringent guidelines, your account may be suspended or — even worse — deleted altogether.

Some good sources for the most current information on what’s new and improved at Facebook is the Facebook Blog and the Notifications section at the top of your Ads Manager (refer to this figure).

While you’re at it, why don’t you become a fan of Facebook’s own Page? Not only do the good people at Facebook update their content frequently (maybe they’re reading this book just like you!), but they also have numerous tabs on their Page that offer some creative ideas that you may want to incorporate into your own Page.

Navigating unchartered waters can be difficult. Facebook is notorious for rolling out sweeping changes, often with profound implications for marketers. But if you check in regularly with Facebook’s marketing Pages and glance at the blogs and news sources that report on Facebook, you’ll have a good sense of the wind of change before it blows.

Addressing growing Facebook privacy concerns

When you devise your marketing plan, consider the privacy concerns that continue to plague Facebook. These issues range from legislative attempts to ensure that Facebook guarantees a certain level of privacy rights on behalf of its members, to backlash from members seeking to protect their personal information. You need to understand and be able to adapt to both Facebook’s privacy guidelines and your fans’ changing expectations. This hotbed issue will no doubt remain a thorn in Facebook’s side. Marketers need to address these concerns while they adopt policies that ensure their fans’ rights are respected.